Ordinary Miracles: September 2008

Friday, September 19, 2008

Nine Months

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a baby who is NINE months old, and happy about it.

Wow, are we having a blast with these little boys!

WB is so sparkly when he wakes up! He squeals when I walk into the room.
He is definitely living up to his design of being hardwired to explore. That was a helpful thing I learned in one of my college classes--that in early childhood, the need to explore is a physical drive similar to hunger or need for sleep. I would add, so also is the need to be chewing on something at all times.

He is finally better from the virus. It took precisely a week. It was a long week.

He has an indefatigable spirit. Even while struck with fever or a rash, he would try to smile. "Resolute" was one of the meanings of his name. True to it, he pushes through discomfort or pain to get to his goal--usually something he is not supposed to have. Leaves are a particular favorite.

He is also resolved to not go to sleep at night. Naps are not a problem, but he lets us know about it at bedtime. We are adjusting our schedule to see if an earlier bedtime will help. But when he makes up his mind to fight, watch out.

The boys are playing together more. SK will do almost anything to get a laugh out of WB, and WB follows his big brother everywhere.

They can quickly get each other's giggle boxes turned over, and definitely feed off each other's energy.

Ever since he was born, I have felt as if I am in a dream. He's so scrumptious that I often look at him and marvel that he's ours. I have to tear myself away from fawning over him to get anything done. I am astounded that he is nine months old.

Guilty Relief

KiSA texted me from work yesterday morning to let me know that a Chinook went down in Iraq. We were mostly sure that his brother was not on it, but that little nagging unknown just about drove us crazy. Finally, we got the email that my brother-in-law was safe. Tragically, the seven in that crash, were not.

I was immensely relieved, but felt a little guilty in that relief. We didn't lose someone in our biological family. And yet, aren't all these soldiers our family? Do they not show us all, every day, the kind of love that cannot be surpassed, the laying down of their lives?

For my brother- and sister-in-law, these people really were like their family. They worked with them, advocated for them, and are now going to be involved in helped their familes cope with this loss.

My prayers are with them. That's all I can say. God be with them.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

New Link

I've added Michael Yon's website to my links. As a writer, I appreciate his skill. As an American and world citizen, I appreciate his courage and honesty. I've been reading his dispatches since 2004, and never been disappointed. Warning: grab a cup of coffee and get comfortable, because it's easy to get pulled in.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Nine Month birthday post, TBA

Little Mr. WB is declining photo ops at the present time. He is inconvenienced with a virus, including a fever and an extremely unhappy tummy. His assistant will arrange for photos to be released at a later time.

Thank you for your understanding, and prayers.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

He speaks!

Earlier this week, WB said, "Ma-Ma." He was tired, hungry, and unhappy about it. He was reaching for me, and repeated it several times. Crocodile tears streamed down his flushed cheeks, and snot poured out of his nose as he dove in my direction. Awww...

Then last night, KiSA walked in the room. WB lit up, giggled, and said, "Ta-Ta." I thought I was going to have to get a mop to clean up the puddle KiSA melted into.

Also earlier this week, Friday I think it was, WB made the sign for "more" while I was feeding him. The way he was putting away the noodles, I think that the reason he might not have signed "more" before now was the food I was pushing his way. He is acting like being spoon-fed is an insult; he greatly prefers finger foods.

I'm hoping that this means he has grasped the concept of communicating through specific signs, and will soon be able to utilize more of them.

On another level of communication, SK is catching on to the idea of teasing, or joking. He is curious when KiSA and I joke with each other, and is trying to understand what it is all about. He laughs because we laugh, of course. Although he realizes that he's not getting all of it yet. "I'm a little bit big," he announced recently, "and I'm a little bit little."

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

At Last

Sleep finally fell on my little ones tonight. A chamber ensemble of soft music, a humidifier and a white noise machine overcame their wiggles. I tucked them under quilts crafted by their great-grandmothers, in beds handed down from family. They're snuggled into soft pajamas printed with teddy bears, tools and frogs; my kisses linger on their foreheads, my prayers over their heads.

One has dimples in every place possible. The other has golden curls that sneak up the back of his head after a bath. Both flash twinkling eyes, gleeful grins, and abundant hugs. They're surrounded by a menagerie of stuffed animals and a contingent of guardian angels.

I love my sons. The Lord knows how they hold my heart in their chubby-grubby little hands.

I'm also very thankful--very relieved--that they are finally, both, completely, asleep.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

You can't tell it from his face, but SK is very excited about his new shoes. When I took this picture last Tuesday, we had just finished our first "lesson" for preschool at home. He did great and we had a lot of fun learning about the letters M and L.

Anyway, we decided to play football in the front yard, and taking this picture was holding up the game. Hence the semi-scowl.

But the shoes light up, have wheels on the side, and they do make him run faster. He wears a size 10!

We went to the local Labor Day festival last Saturday, and had a good time. KiSA has made some new friends (on whose land he will be deer hunting this season) and they run a concessions trailer at fairs and such. We stopped by to say hello and they insisted on feeding us supper. No soggy nachos there; in fact, it was the first really good barbeque we've had since we got out here. I miss Dickies. Pulled pork? Whatever.

WB ate macaroni and cheese for the first time. Not the box kind, the buttery, melted cheese, big noodle kind. He put it away with great intensity. All of a sudden, my homemade baby food just doesn't suit him anymore.

I didn't get a picture of the coolest attraction. There's a company that does facilitated group drum sessions. They were in a pavilion with 40 or 50 djembes and chairs in a large circle. People were free to just walk up and grab a drum, and join in the song that the leader was leading out with a microphone. It was SOOOO much fun for KiSA and me, but the boys were pretty overwhelmed by it.

And the final picture? Well, let's just say that few things are more mezmerizing that a front-loading washing machine and dryer. They are popular attractions in the heat of the day.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Help

Apparently, formatting on this here newfangled Blogger deal eludes me. Can someone please teach me how to get the correct text under the correct photos?